14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft has announced a substantial app icon overhaul based on Fluent Design and using new colors, materials, and finishes that would contribute to a more consistent approach going forward.
The Redmond-based software giant started the work on a modern set of icons nearly one month ago with Microsoft Office. The facelift continued with a series of Windows 10 core apps and is now advancing at a faster pace with a new pack comprising 100 designs.
Jon Friedman, corporate vice president of design and research at Microsoft, explains that Fluent Design, the design language that is used in Windows 10, played a key role in the creation of the new icons.
“Our Fluent Design System was instrumental in helping us navigate both these challenges. Fluent emphasizes building off the familiar — designing for what our customers already understand, not asking them to develop new habits or learn something new,” he says.
“Fluent is also about creating space for a diverse yet connected system. To account for such a breadth of contexts and experiences, we expanded our initial library of icon colors, materials, and finishes.”
Goodbye, flat design!
The new set of icons includes modern designs for a big number of Windows 10 apps, including Paint, Calculator, Mail, and File Explorer. Microsoft Edge has already received a new icon earlier this year, and so has Microsoft Office, so today’s update rounds up the overhaul that Microsoft helps would spearhead the evolution of its products.
Some of these icons have previously been revealed as part of the Windows 10X demo that Microsoft offered during the October 2 Surface event. Windows 10X is a special version of the OS that is aimed at dual-screen and foldable devices.
Microsoft says the old icon design, which mostly relies on a flat approach, has to go, not necessarily from a design perspective, but also as far as users themselves are concerned.
“We conducted countless rounds of research for every icon. From mild to wild, we explored a multitude of design directions and listened to customers around the world. We learned what didn’t resonate with people (flat design and muted colors) and what did (depth, gradations, vibrant colors, and motion), all of which drove our decisions,” Friedman explains.
The new icons will gradually make their way in Windows and other products as new versions are released.
